Step by step

Method

4 steps

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Melt 8 oz chopped semisweet chocolate with ¼ cup unsalted butter over low heat or in short microwave bursts, stirring until smooth. Cool about 5 minutes so it won't scramble the eggs — it should still be fluid and glossy.

2. 2

   In a bowl, whip 2 large eggs with ¾ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until thick and pale, 3–4 minutes with a hand mixer. The ribbon should sit on the surface a second before sinking — that whip gives you shiny crackly tops. Fold in the melted chocolate until even.

3. 3

   Sift in ½ cup flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Fold gently just until you don't see dry streaks. Fold in ½ cup chocolate chips. Rest the batter 10 minutes so it thickens enough to scoop without spreading into puddles.

4. 4

   Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds about 2 inches apart. Bake 10–12 minutes until the tops are crackled and the edges look set but the centers still look soft and fudgy. Cool on the sheet 10 minutes before moving — they'll firm as they sit. You want brownie-like cookies with crackly tops and gooey centers — not cakey pucks or flat greasy wafers.